Plants & Animals interview

We checked in with Matthew ‘Woody’ Woodley, drummer and vocalist with Montreal group, Plants & Animals, and asked him what was in the water in their hometown that helped it consistently kick up so many unique bands: ‘Beer. But more specifically, the formula is cheap rent equals less time working and more time playing, plus a vibrant, multicultural town, plus tons of good musicians, plus plenty of nice venues, equals audiences who show up, support and enjoy, times media attention and sharing, times cross-pollination, all equals a healthy musical ecosystem’.

What was the reasoning behind taking an otherwise bare sound and lushing it up with strings on your debut album? ‘It took us two years to make the record because we tried so many things. We went forth with the notion that any idea is worth trying. If that meant invite a pro horn section in for an afternoon, or our friends over in the evening to play choir for beer, we just did. We kept a lot and let a lot fall to the wayside. With all that, naturally, the experience was exciting, tiring and fun. Mostly fun’.